Fair Game: An Alpha & Omega Novel (Book 3) by Patricia Briggs

Fair Games by Patricia Briggs

Completion Date: March 2, 2012
Reason for Reading: Carry on with the series.

Patricia Briggs, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson novels, "always enchants her readers." (Lynn Viehl, New York Times bestselling author) Now her Alpha and Omega series-set in a world of shifting shapes, loyalty, and passion- brings werewolves out of the darkness and into a society where fear and prejudice could make the hunters prey...

They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

I did not do Friday Reads yesterday because the mail came and my calculations had deduced this book would be with it. I have been waiting since 2009 for another book in this series; so I was pretty excited when it was finally in my hands. Any and all plans went out the window yesterday as I immediately tore the package open and dove into this book. The thing is, I could have easily finished this book in one sitting, but I kept putting it down yesterday.  I knew I was going to read it way too fast and then regret it because no idea when there will be another book in the series and there is no book out in the Mercy Thompson series this year. So, I read it in starts and stops yesterday, but I still finished it in the end. Now I have a long wait ahead of me.

This series is starting to pick-up for me more now. I have always found it wasn't quite as good at the Mercy Thompson series. I just like Mercy, Samuel, and Adam better and find myself more engaged in their story. I think part of it is the fact that with Mercy you have to work your way up to everything, but this series all happened really fast. In the latest in the Mercy series things that have been on-going for a while all come together, so I found myself very engaged in the story and its outcome. Charles and Anna are just very different. Their story is more about the rights of werewolves and how hard it has been for them since they came out to the humans. That being said, Charles and Anna are starting to grow on me. I found myself very caught-up in this story and watching it all play out. That could partly be because I have been waiting 3 years to find out exactly what happens next. This book actually takes place very soon after the events in River Marked because when Adam makes a brief appearance Mercy is still recovering.

The one thing I have always appreciated about this series is that while it is about werewolves, it can easily be imagined for sub-groups of human culture. In this book they are discussing making werewolves classified as 'endangered species' because then they are animals instead of people. This will limit their rights. The fae have also 'came out' and they are forced to live on reservations. You can't help thinking about the treatment of people while you read this book. I enjoy that the book has far-reaching themes that are very easy to relate to. Then something bad happens and because it involves werewolves and Fae the wrong-doers are basically let off easy. We are talking rape and torture, but it was rape and torture to a Fae. It really illustrates how not everyone is equal no matter what the law says. And, it leads to one of my favourite scenes in the book. We get a taste of the Fae that I found captivating and could easily picture in my mind. It should also mean even more interesting events in the future.

It is hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything for either the series or this individual book, so I am just going to stop trying and say how much I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Patricia Briggs is an awesome author. I look forward to more from her period!

Alpha & Omega Series:
Alpha and Omega - Short Story (review)
Cry Wolf (review)
Hunting Ground (review)
Fair Game

'Fair Game' by Patricia Briggs

When the FBI request a pack consultant on a serial killer case they're following in Boston, Anna and Charles are sent in. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves – all of them were.

Someone is targeting their kind. And if Charles and Anna can't get to the bottom of this mystery, they may be next...

There hasn't been a new book out in this series since 2009. I am so excited that there finally is a cover for the book due out February 7, 2012. I am still disappointed there is not a new Mercedes Thompson series in 2012, though.

Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega Series, Book 2)

Cry Wolf unlocked the doors to a unique urban landscape in "a great... new werewolf series." Now Patricia Briggs invites readers to follow her even deeper into that seductive realm of the unknown...

Anna Latham didn't know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son--and enforcer--of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn't know how dangerous it could be, either...

Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran's controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan--and it seems like someone else might be, too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all--or risk losing everything...

Quote taken from the Back Cover.

For a year I have been waiting for the new Patricia Briggs' novel. At the beginning of the year, I read Bone Crossed, the fourth book in the Mercedes Thompson series. Normally that would be all from her for the year. Now, though, we have the Alpha & Omega series. The series starts with a novella in the On the Prowl anthology and then is followed up by the first novel, Cry Wolf. With this newest book I think I am pretty much as in love with this series as I am with the Mercedes Thompson series.

This series centers around Anna Latham and her husband, Charles Cornick. Charles has been mentioned off and on during the Mercedes Thompson series because his brother is Sam, who lives with Mercy, and his father is the Marrock. In this series, though, Briggs has the opportunity to develop his character. Anna is a new character that Charles has only known for about a month. While Charles, Sam, and Bran have been doing some crossing over, though, Briggs has said that she doubts Mercy and Anna will ever appear in each others books. I really don't care, though, because it means that we get two books a year instead of just one. Mind you, it is about 6 months until the new Mercedes Thompson book and another year before the next Alpha & Omega, but it could be worse!

In this book we see a lot of Charles and Anna. The story switches back and forth between their point of view, with a few other characters thrown in for variety. Charles has had a bad feeling about the summit and argues with his father until he sees reason and does not attend. This means that Charles and Anna are left with the task of convincing the other werewolf packs that the plan to reveal themselves is a good one. Things are a lot more complicated than that, though. One thing I really like about this series is that werewolves will always play a strong role, but Briggs also works in vampires and the fey. With Mercy, each of the books in the series has so far centred around one paranormal group. In this series, she seems to just concentrate on the werewolves and works the other groups in as she goes along. It adds some variety between the two series.

There is a lot going on in this book. It was nice to get to know Anna and Charles better. They are both very interesting characters. Charles has never been married before, even though he is in his two-hundreds, so he has a lot to learn. Anna is a very young werewolf and an Omega, so she has a lot of things to discover as well. I think they are doing very well learning them together. Their relationship is also really new, so they are still in the 'getting to know each other' stage. Charles is often worried that he has ruined things with Anna, but I think she is there for the long-term. She is still haunted by her past, though, which makes her vulnerable at times. Then, she does something amazing and reminds everyone just how strong she is. Briggs has done a wonderful job with her storyline.

In conclusion, I am very happy that I read this book, but now I have to wait six months for anything more! The good thing is that Briggs is my comfort read, so this new book came at a perfect time. I hope others will give her a chance because she is a wonderful author that everyone should read!

This book is my first read for the R.I.P. IV Challenge.

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

Now Briggs begins an extraordinary new series set in Mercy Thompson's world-but with rules of its own.

INTRODUCING THE ALPHA AND OMEGA NOVELS...

Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack . . . and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member-and as his mate.

Dear Ms. Briggs,

I decided to do this review in letter format because I have a few things to address. It is highly unlikely that you will ever stumble upon my blog, I know you are very busy, but in the off chance that you ever do, I have a few things to address. Firstly, bravo! I have to admit, while I wanted to read this book since it came out, I was a bit worried. I love Mercedes Thompson and the world that you have created for her, so I was not sure what reading this series would lead to. I gathered from the short story that I read over the summer that it would be more romance involved because Anna actually knows (or we assume anyway) that she wants Charles as her mate. Mercedes has been working out her relationships and we are still waiting for a conclusion on that. I am not a big fan of romance unless it is worked into the story correctly. It was for this book, so I have no complaints!

I obviously found myself comparing characters. Do I like Mercedes better than Anna? Charles better than Samuel? The truth is, I really don't know. Anna has some gumption that she is working on having present all the time, but she is not the live-wire that Mercedes is. So, it probably wouldn't be fair to compare the two. As to Charles and Samuel, I feel like I know Charles better. Samuel has been in all the books (including this one), but not in the same way as Charles. So, again, it is not fair to compare the two. What I will say, then, is that I like all the characters. I think I am going to like this new series about as much as I like the Mercedes one, so I am happy that I finally read it! It is not like I haven't read other books by you and enjoyed them, I am quite a fan actually, but there is always a bit of worry when you start a new series by a beloved author.

I am so happy that you decided to write a series set in the same time and place as the Mercedes books. The characters in this book, with the exception of Anna, have been mentioned in the other series and I am happy that we got the chance to get to know them better. Authors really should do this more often when you think about it! It also means two books a year instead of only one, another thing that I wish other authors did! That being said, it is great that you included an excerpt from the new Mercedes Thompson book. I didn't read it, of course, because I am looking forward to the book anyway, so while make the wait even harder!

What I did note was that it is going to be coming out in hardcover! While I must congratulate on hardcover status, I wish that publishers wouldn't do this in the middle of series. I like my books to match, and now I either will have the first ones softcover and the rest hardcover, or I am going to have to wait an extra year to buy the book! Considering I am rather impatient, I am imagine my books will just not match! So, I am both happy for you and annoyed about the change. It happens all the time, I know, but it would be so nice if they could decide the authors worth in the beginning, not halfway through!

Really, though, I have to say that you are a very good author! I have obviously introduced other bloggers and friends to your books, and that makes me happy! I like getting the word out there and seeing people thanking me for introducing them to books that they might not have read otherwise. You are worth the hardcover price, so I hope that people will continue to take my recommendation and pick up your books! Now, I do have to say that I really have no idea what is up with the cover on this book... That is not how I pictured Anna at all. Actually, there is not a scene in there where she is dressed anywhere near the person on the cover of the book, she actually dresses pretty conservative, I thought, so I really wish I knew what the thought process behind covers on your books are! Very eye-catching, I give them that, but still...

Anyway, thank you for continuing to write such excellent books! I cannot wait until February 3rd when the next Mercedes book comes out!

Sincerley,

Kelly